The first reader reviews of McG’s Terminator Salvation and Disney’s return to hand drawn animation, The Princess and The Frog have shown up online.

Gandalf The Grey over on AICN says that he went in with low expectations but “actually came out of the cinema quite uplifted and hopeful.” He admits that the film “isn’t as convincingly done as the Batman reboot” but its “a good beginning for this storyline.” He called Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “brief” cameo “a cool moment”, and mentioned Danny Elfman’s score was “too loud and big for the movie.” Here is a short excerpt:

“Action is the keyword for this movie, which of course most people who goes to see this franchise will be expecting. I found that it had a little too much action, so that our characters wasn’t told in a way, that we could really bond with them. It lacked some more small moments of quiet interaction. The effects, however, are well done.” … “All in all I came out of the cinema with the belief that we may still have great stories from the Terminator universe, and that we at least have a fine piece of action movie, with the potential for a good story arc.”

Meanwhile, former Saved By The Bell cast member turned Extra correspondent saw a press screening and tweeted his first reaction: “Just saw Terminator/Salvation and Arnold makes a cameo as the old school terminator! Super cool surprise.. Good effects.” The Hollywood junket screenings happen in the next couple days, so I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more early buzz soon enough.

The Princess and the Frog was screened as a work in progress. With only 30% finished full color animation, it may be too early to make any kind of fair opinion. But that doesn’t stop CartoonBrew commenter Michael, who calls it “a worthy entry in the Disney canon, but they’ve got a LOT more work to do, and not just finishing up the animation.” Here are some excerpts:

“I think this movie has a lot of promise and in the main it was very warmly received by an audience unused to watching pencil tests, who laughed heartily throughout.

“The environments and backgrounds are really beautiful, especially when the action moves into the bayou. Really, really lovely stuff, and what we saw of the completed New Orleans is really quite something.”

“Anyway, story-wise, there’s enough that’s “different” in there to pique the interest of those who are tired of the traditional Disney fare, but unfortunately it also treads many of the same boards as the movies we have seen a dozen times over. I suppose, alas, that given the burden of expectation — it’s going to SAVE Disney 2D animation!!! — it has to to meet the modern expectation of a “Disney animated feature.” The “I want” song lands right where it is supposed to, and so on. It seemed to me, that some of the more familiar elements don’t really sit well with some of the new, but I think there’s room, and time, to smooth this out some. BUT, there are some pretty large story problems in the first act that loom large over the rest of the film.”

Disney is releasing The Princess and the Frog with a limited run in New York and LA starting on November 25th, followed by a wide release on December 11th.